As exclusive partner to the CNMI Green Carpet Talent Competition, The Bicester Village Shopping Collection®by Value Retail has a long history of spotlighting and supporting emerging talent with a view to creating a sustainable fashion industry.

The Bicester Village Shopping Collection Mentorship Programme is offered to the five finalists of the CNMI Green Carpet Talent Competition. This 12-month education programme gives the finalists the chance to work with a range of experts from Value Retail and its industry contacts from Europe and China.

The designers will also have their collections featured in The Creative Spot, a platform dedicated to showcasing new talents at Fidenza Village, just outside Milan.

The five finalists will attend The Green Carpet Fashion Awards, Italia 2018 – dubbed ‘The Oscars of Fashion’ by the industry –at La Scala on 23 September 2018, closing Milan Fashion Week. Last year attendees included Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Dakota Johnson, Anna Wintour and many more big names.

One of the finalists will be announced as the winner of the Franca Sozzani GCC Emerging Designer of the Year Award on stage at La Scala and will be given the opportunity to present at Milan Fashion Week in February 2019, supported by the CNMI (the National Chamber for Italian Fashion).

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SEMI-FINALISTS BELOW

#1

16R– ROMINA CAPONI16R Firenze was established in June 2016 when its owner and art director, Romina, joined her family’s business, Maglificio Caponi, a company that has been perfecting the craft of knitting since the 1970s.

MATERIALSOEKO-TEX®100-certified undyed wool mixed with alpaca and lamé yarns, all Made in Italy, and upcycled plastic embellishments.

SUSTAINABILITY/ETHICSThe embroidery is made by hand and created by recycling plastic from recycled bottles collected on the beaches of Italy. The naturally coloured wool is OEKO-TEX®-certified.

#2

AZAR RAJABICanadian-born Azar Rajabi studied fashion design at Domus Academy, Milan. Since then, her brand has gone on to establish global recognition in the press and has been deemed a ‘Vision-Air’ and an Innovator of Tomorrow by Nike after she collaborated with the brand in 2017.

BROGNANO – NICOLA BROGNANONicola Brognano was born in Calabria in 1990. He went on to study Fashion Design at Marangoni Institute and, after graduating, worked with designer Giambattista Valli and Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda.

BEHNO – SHIVAM PUNJYABehno was founded in 2014 with the aim of addressing poverty and global health through traditional and non-traditional enterprise channels.

MATERIALS- Remnant handwoven silk.- ECONYL®regenerated nylon, an innovative and sustainable way to create products from waste in a continuous loop.- The ECONYL®regeneration system can be repeated endlessly without any loss in the quality of the material.

SUSTAINABILITY/ETHICSArtisan production and low-impact materials. Bav Tailor has a 360° sustainability sphere manifesto.

#6

DAVIDE GRILLODavide Grillo’s journey started with a series of courses at Central Saint Martins. In 2011, his collection inspired by the women of Boldini won him the Riccione Moda Italia prize, and, soon after, he started working as a designer for Pinko.

MATERIALS- ‘Feathers’ made from laser-cut silk that are naturally dyed and then washed for volume, before being applied to a repurposed silk base.- ‘ReSequins’: sequins laser-cut from used plastic bottles.- Colour effects are achieved by using coloured plastic bottles, coloured fabric and coloured thread, or placing the sequins over a digital print.

Born and raised in Milan, Gilberto Calzolari graduated from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and went on to have an impressive career in fashion working for global luxury brands such as Marni, Alberta Ferretti, Valentino, Miu Miu and Giorgio Armani.

MATERIALS- Jute bags from Brazil. These coffee bags were purchased from the markets around the oldest canal in Milan. The bags are sold in Milan to be used as water barriers to stop canals flooding, which is increasingly an issue due to rising water levels caused by global warming.- Swarovski Advanced Elements lead-free crystals and hanging pendants sewn in wire.

MARCO RAMBALDIMarco Rambaldi’s first collection debuted in 2014 and was given the CNMI’s 2014 Next Generation Award. Rambaldi’s work has been recognised by various fashion talents and he was also a finalist in Who is on Next 2017, the contest held by Altaroma in collaboration withVogue Italia.

MATERIALSMarco Rambaldi is creating new fabrics by knitting together the scraps of the fabrics used for his Autumn/Winter 2017 and Spring/Summer 2018 collections.

MATERIALS- Fil Coupé made in Italy using recycled polyester and Lenzing Modal.- Recycled polyester lining.- Laser-cut sequins made from sponsored plastic water bottles from shows and painted with natural-pigment acrylic paints.

WRAD – SILVIA GIOVANARDIWRAD began on Instagram in 2015 to raise awareness about the true impact of clothing. Since then, the brand has evolved into a sustainable, innovative lab and streetwear label.

MATERIALSRecycled graphite dyeing, with recycled graphite powder replacing chemical dyes with a natural and non-toxic mineral otherwise disposed of in landfill. The graphite is a by-product of the tech industry, and is converted from powder into a water-based solution effective for dyeing fabrics.

SUSTAINABILITY/ETHICSLow-impact materials, a low-impact dyeing process developed by the brand and overall commitment to sustainability and educating consumers.